JP4350440B2 - Cap and combination of cap and container - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cap, and a combination of the cap and the container. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cap structure with improved adhesion to the container when the cap is attached, and a combination with the container using the cap.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a container for soft drinks, as is well known, a container having a form in which a male thread and an annular jaw part positioned below the male thread are formed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical container mouth is widely used. It is offered to.
And, as a container cap having tamper evident characteristics for such a container, the container includes a top wall and a cylindrical skirt wall depending from the periphery of the top wall, and the skirt wall extends in the circumferential direction. A weakening line is formed, and the skirt wall is divided into a main portion above the circumferential weakening line and a tamper evidence skirt below the circumferential weakening line. A synthetic resin cap having a shape in which a female thread is formed on the peripheral surface, and a locking piece is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper-evidence skirt so as to protrude upward and inclining radially inward. Has been proposed and put to practical use.
[0003]
In such a conventional synthetic resin cap, when the container mouth is sealed after the contents are stored in the container, the container mouth is fitted with the cap, and the cap is rotated in a predetermined closed rotation direction. Screw the female thread of the cap onto the male thread of the part. The cap is lowered along with the rotation in the closing rotation direction due to the screwing of the male thread and the female thread, and the locking piece formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence bottom of the cap is in the radial direction. It bends elastically outward and passes through the annular jaw portion of the container mouth, and then is elastically restored and locked to the lower surface of the annular jaw portion.
[0004]
On the other hand, in order to open the container mouth portion, when the cap is rotated in the opposite direction, that is, in the opening rotation direction, the cap's female thread is moved along the male thread of the container mouth portion. Raised with rotation in the direction of rotation. Then, the tamper evint hem of the cap cannot be raised because the locking piece formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap is locked to the lower surface of the annular jaw of the container mouth, and therefore the circumferential direction Stress is generated in the weakening line, the circumferential weakening line is broken across the entire circumferential direction, and the tamper evidence skirt is separated from the main part of the skirt wall. Then, the separated tamper evidence hem is left in the container mouth, the other part of the cap (the main part of the top wall and the skirt wall) is detached from the container mouth, and the container mouth is opened. . If an axial direction weakening line is formed at the tamper evident hem, the circumferential direction weakening line is maintained without being partially broken, and the axial direction breaking line is broken so that the tamper evidence hem is broken. The portion is developed from an endless annular shape into an end band shape, and thus the locking piece is released from the annular jaw portion, and the entire cap including the tamper evidence skirt is removed from the container mouth.
[0005]
However, in the cap of the above-described form, the locking piece passes through the annular jaw portion without breaking the circumferential weakening line (and the axial weakening line) due to elastic deformation of the locking piece. There is a risk that a so-called “slip-out phenomenon” may occur in which the entire cap is lifted and detached from the container mouth.
[0006]
In order to prevent the occurrence of such a “slip-out phenomenon”, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a locking protrusion is formed on the lower surface of an engaging piece that protrudes at an inclination angle α with respect to the horizontal. A streak is formed, and an inner circumferential surface of the tamper evidence skirt has an inclination angle β larger than the inclination angle α with respect to the horizontal, upward inward in the radial direction below the locking piece. There is disclosed a synthetic resin cap characterized in that a lock piece that is inclined and protrudes is formed, and a tip of the lock piece is engaged with the lock protrusion of the locking piece. Yes.
[0007]
However, in the synthetic resin cap of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the lower shape of the annular jaw portion formed in the container is loose or does not sufficiently protrude outwardly, the locking There is a problem that the piece is not locked to the annular jaw portion, and the occurrence of the so-called “slip-out phenomenon” cannot be sufficiently prevented.
In particular, in the case of a combination with a metal container formed using a metal material, the shape of the annular jaw formed on the metal container is outward due to molding factors compared to a synthetic resin container. There is a problem that the overhang of the ring jaw is not sufficient and the shape of the lower part of the annular jaw is gentle, and the tamper evidence characteristics cannot be achieved with certainty.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-34458
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the circumferential weakening line (and the axial weakening line) is not broken, and the occurrence of the so-called “slip-out phenomenon” can be avoided sufficiently reliably. And an improved cap, and a combination of the cap and the container.
Another object of the present invention is to ensure that the cap slips out of the container mouth at the time of opening without causing a separate problem such as making the cap mounting operation difficult to the container mouth. And providing a cap and container combination.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of earnest research, the present inventor has formed a predetermined flap and protrusion on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt of the cap, and the flap is formed between the protrusion and the jaw of the container mouth at the time of opening. By being sandwiched between them and preventing the tamper evidence skirt from moving upward, the so-called “slip-out” phenomenon can be avoided sufficiently reliably, and the bridge leak (BL) angle is also superior. The present invention has been found.
[0011]
That is, the cap according to claim 1 includes a top wall and a cylindrical skirt wall depending from the periphery of the top wall, and a circumferential weakening line extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the skirt wall, The skirt wall is partitioned into a main part above the circumferential weakening line and a tamper evidence hem below the circumferential weakening line,
In the cap having tamper evidence characteristics in which an internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main part,
A flexible flap that protrudes radially inward and upward is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt, and the upper portion of the base that joins the tamper evidence skirt is near the upper edge of the tamper evidence skirt. Are formed with ridges, the base edge of the flap and the ridges are formed extending in the circumferential direction,
The flap is sandwiched between the ridge and the jaw portion of the container mouth portion when the cap is opened to prevent the tamper evidence skirt from moving upward.
[0012]
Further, the combination of the cap and the container according to claim 2 is a container in which a male thread corresponding to the female thread of the skirt wall is formed above the jaw part of the container mouth part;
Including a top wall and a cylindrical skirt wall depending from the periphery of the top wall,
A circumferential weakening line extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the skirt wall,
The skirt wall is partitioned into a main part above the circumferential weakening line and a tamper evidence hem below the circumferential weakening line,
In combination with a cap having tamper evidence characteristics in which an internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main part,
A flexible flap protruding radially inward and upward is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt,
A ridge is formed in the vicinity of the upper part of the base edge where the flap is joined to the tamper evidence skirt , and the base edge and the ridge of the flap are formed to extend in the circumferential direction.
The flap is sandwiched between the ridge and the jaw portion of the container mouth portion when opening the cap, and prevents the tamper evidence skirt from moving upward. To do.
[0013]
In particular, when the container is made of a metal material in which a curled part is formed at the tip of the container mouth part, the male thread is formed below the curled part, and the jaw part is formed below the male thread. Is a suitable combination.
[0014]
With the configuration as described above, in the cap of the present invention and the combination of the cap and the container, the flap is sandwiched between the ridge and the jaw part of the container mouth at the time of opening, so that the tamper evidence hem Since the movement of the upper part of the container is prevented, the circumferential weakening line is not broken, and the protrusion and the flap are reliably prevented from rising through the jaw part of the container mouth part, so that the entire cap Occurrence of the so-called “sweep-out phenomenon” that is detached from the container mouth is sufficiently reliably avoided.
[0015]
[Embodiments of the Invention]
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the synthetic resin cap constructed according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a left-half side cross-sectional view showing a state before the cap A of the embodiment of the present invention is closed. FIG. 2 is a left-half side cross-sectional view showing a combined state of the cap A and the container mouth portion B according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the flap, the protrusion, and the jaw shown in FIG.
In FIG. 1, the cap A includes a substantially circular top wall 10 and a substantially cylindrical skirt wall 11 depending from the periphery of the top wall 10.
A circumferential weakening line 12 extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the skirt wall 11, and the skirt wall 11 has a main portion 13 above the circumferential weakening line 12 and a tamper shrimp below the circumferential weakening line 12. It is partitioned into a dent skirt 14.
[0017]
The circumferential weakening line 12 includes a plurality of slits 15 extending in the circumferential direction at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of bridging portions 16 positioned between the slits 15. One of the bridging portions 16 may be a non-breaking bridging portion in which the cross-sectional area is increased and the strength is increased as compared with other bridging portions.
[0018]
In the cap A of the present embodiment, an annular shoulder 17 facing downward is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall 11, and the inner diameter below the annular shoulder 17 is larger than the inner diameter above it. It is set somewhat larger. A plurality of ribs 18 extending in the axial direction are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt wall 11 at intervals in the circumferential direction at a portion immediately below the annular shoulder portion 17. The circumferential weakening line 12 is formed by cutting the skirt wall 11 in the circumferential direction leaving the ribs 18.
This cutting is performed over the entire circumferential direction using a cutter (not shown) from the outer peripheral surface of the skirt wall 11 leaving a part (residual portion) of the plurality of ribs 18. Therefore, the main portion 13 above the circumferential weakening line 12 and the tamper evidence skirt 14 below the circumferential weakening line 12 are connected by the remaining portion. The remaining portions of the plurality of ribs 18 define the bridging portion 16, and the cutting line between the plurality of ribs 18 defines the slit 15.
[0019]
In the cap A of the present embodiment, a concavo-convex shape 19 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main portion 13 of the skirt wall 11 to prevent the slipping of the finger locked there. A female thread 20 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main portion 13 of the skirt wall 11. The female thread 20 is formed with ventilation notches 21 extending in the axial direction at intervals in the circumferential direction.
[0020]
The cap A of the present embodiment is characterized in that a flexible flap 22 that protrudes radially inward and upward is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt 14 of the skirt wall 11. To do.
The length of the flap 22 is 2 to 8 mm, preferably 3 to 4 mm, and the thickness is 0.2 to 1.5 mm, preferably 0.3 to 0.6 mm.
Although the flap 22 of this embodiment is formed as an annular locking piece that extends continuously in the circumferential direction, a plurality of flaps 22 can be formed at intervals in the circumferential direction as desired. Moreover, it is preferable that each base edge (joint part with the tamper evidence bottom part 14 of a cap) of the flap 22 is formed horizontally in the substantially circumferential direction.
[0021]
In the cap A of the present embodiment, a protrusion 23 is further formed near the upper portion of the flap 22.
In the present embodiment, the ridges 23 are formed so as to extend over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the flap 22, but a plurality of ridges 23 may be formed at intervals in the circumferential direction as desired.
The height of the ridge 23 is 0.5 to 1.2 mm, preferably 0.8 to 0.9 mm, and the upper angle is 10 ° to 70 ° with respect to the plane perpendicular to the axis of the cap, preferably 40 ° to 50 °.
[0022]
In the present embodiment, a flexible flap 22 that protrudes radially inward and upward is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt portion 14 of the skirt wall 11 in this way. Since the ridge 23 is formed in the vicinity of the upper portion of the plate, the bridge leak (BL) angle is also superior. That is, the bridge leak (BL) angle refers to a difference between a rotation angle (bridge break angle) until the bridge breaks at the time of opening and a rotation angle (leak angle) until the seal is released. Therefore, the faster the bridge breaks (evidence of opening) before the seal is released, the better the tamper evidence.
[0023]
The flap 22 is formed so as to protrude radially inward and downward. When it is molded in such a form, it is not necessary to use a so-called split mold that is complex and expensive as a mold, and so-called unreasonable removal at the time of removal from the mold can be performed relatively easily.
And after taking out from the shaping | molding die, the flap 22 is deform | transformed by the suitable jig | tool at the form which protrudes in a radial inside and upward. Alternatively, when the cap is attached to the container mouth portion, the flap 22 has flexibility, so that it is deformed upward along the outer periphery of the container mouth portion, and the ridge 23 and the jaw of the container mouth portion. It is also possible to be mounted by being sandwiched between the unit 30.
[0024]
Further, an axial direction weakening line extending in the axial direction may be formed in the tamper evidence skirt portion 14 of the skirt wall 11 as desired.
When the axial direction weakening line is formed, the upper end thereof is brought close to one end of the non-breaking bridge portion in the circumferential direction weakening line 12. Such an axial direction weakening line is a combination of a slit (cut groove) and a breakable bridging part, or a slit and a score (thin wall generated by partially cutting in the thickness direction rather than the entire thickness direction) Part).
[0025]
In the cap A of the present embodiment, a seal portion 24 for sealing the container mouth portion is provided on the inner surface of the top wall 10. The seal portion 24 includes an inner ring 25 that engages with the inner surface of the container mouth portion, an outer ring 26 that engages with the outer surface of the container mouth portion, and a top surface protrusion 27 that engages with the upper surface of the container mouth portion.
[0026]
The material of the cap A is preferably formed of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene or hard polyethylene.
[0027]
FIG. 2 is a left-half side cross-sectional view showing a combined state of the cap A and the container mouth B of the present embodiment. The cap A is the same as that already described in the section of the cap A of the present embodiment.
The container mouth part B is formed with a male thread 31 corresponding to the female thread 20 of the skirt wall of the cap A on the outer peripheral surface above the jaw part 30 of the container mouth part B, and has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole. is there.
The jaw portion 30 projects greatly toward the cap A side, and when the cap is opened, the flap 22 is sandwiched between the ridges 23 to prevent the tamper evidence skirt portion 14 from moving upward.
The overhang amount of the jaw part 30 is 0.5 to 2 mm, preferably 0.8 to 1 mm. The lower angle is 10 ° to 70 °, preferably 40 ° to 50 °. By setting the overhang amount and the lower angle of the jaw part 30 within the above range, the cap A and the container mouth part B are more closely attached, and the bridge can be easily broken without causing a “slip-out phenomenon”. .
[0028]
The material of the container including the container opening B may be any of synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, glass, etc., but the cap of the present invention has a lower lower part of the jaw part or is radially outward. It is suitable for metal containers such as aluminum and steel, which are difficult to sufficiently project to the side.
Examples of the contents of the container include soft drinks such as tea and juice, and various liquids such as alcohol, but are not particularly limited.
[0029]
Next, the procedure for opening the container opening B will be described.
First, the cap A is rotated in the opening rotation direction, that is, in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from above (above the top wall) in FIG. In this way, the female thread 20 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main portion 13 of the skirt wall 11 of the cap A is moved along the male thread 31 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth B. Therefore, the cap A is raised with the rotation.
[0030]
On the other hand, the flap 22 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt 14 in the skirt wall 11 of the cap A has a protrusion 23 and a jaw portion of the container mouth when opening as shown in FIG. 30 to prevent the tamper evidence skirt 14 from moving upward. In this way, considerable stress is generated in the bridging portion 16 in the circumferential weakening line 12 formed in the skirt wall 11 of the cap A, and all the bridging portions 16 are broken.
[0031]
When the cap A is raised to a certain extent, the seal portion 24 of the cap A is separated from the upper end of the container mouth portion B, and the ventilation formed between the upper end of the container mouth portion B and the seal portion 24 and in the female thread 20. The inside of the container is communicated with the outside through the notch 21 (see FIG. 1).
[0032]
In this way, when the cap A is rotated in the opening rotation direction and raised, the flap 22 locked to the lower surface of the jaw portion 30 of the container mouth portion B is deformed downward. Is applied from the lower surface of the jaw part 30 and is sandwiched between the ridge 23 and the jaw part 30 of the container mouth part at the time of opening, so that the tamper evidence skirt part 14 is moved upward. Stop effectively.
Accordingly, the so-called “slip-out phenomenon”, that is, without causing the bridging portion 16 in the circumferential weakening line 12 to break, the ridge 23 and the flap 22 rise through the jaw portion 30, and as a result, the cap A The phenomenon that the whole is detached from the container mouth B is reliably avoided.
[0033]
In this way, the tamper evident skirt 14 is left behind the container mouth B while the flap 22 is locked to the jaw 30 of the container mouth B, and only the main part 13 of the skirt wall is raised. Continue.
Thereafter, only the main part 13 of the cap A is detached from the container mouth part B, and the container mouth part B is completely opened.
[0034]
Next, a procedure for closing the container mouth B will be described.
After filling the container with the contents, the cap A is attached to the container mouth B, and the container mouth B is sealed. When the cap A is attached to the container mouth B, the cap A is fitted into the container mouth B, and the cap A is rotated in the closed rotation direction, that is, clockwise as viewed from above in FIG. The female thread 20 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main portion 13 of the skirt wall 11 is screwed to the male thread 31 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container mouth B.
The flap 22 and the ridge 23 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt 14 of the skirt wall 11 in the cap A are elastically deformed by being inserted into the gap with the container mouth B. After passing through the jaw part 30 of the container mouth part B, the flap 22 is positioned below the lower surface of the jaw part 30 as shown in FIGS.
When the flap 22 and the ridge 23 pass through the jaw portion 30 and are closed, the flap 22 and the ridge 23 are elastically deformed upward and radially outward. The installation operation of the cap A to the container mouth part B does not become difficult due to the laying of 23.
When the cap A is attached to the container mouth B, the seal portion 24 formed on the inner surface of the top wall 10 of the cap A is brought into close contact with the upper end of the container mouth B, whereby the container mouth B is Sealed.
[0035]
In the above embodiment, all the bridging portions 16 are broken, the tamper evidence skirt portion 14 is completely separated from the main portion 13 of the skirt wall, and the main portion 13 of the skirt wall is left in the container mouth portion B. . If desired, one of the bridging portions 16 can be made into a non-breaking bridging portion with increased cross-sectional area and increased strength compared to the other bridging portions, and a tamper evidence skirt portion 14 An axial direction weakening line extending in the axial direction is formed, and when opening, the axial direction weakening line is broken together with the bridging portion 16 so that the tamper evidence skirt portion 14 is shaped like an endless belt from an endless annular shape. The tamper evidence skirt 14 connected to the main part 13 of the skirt wall through the non-breaking bridging part can also be detached from the container mouth part B.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the slipping-out phenomenon from the container mouth portion of the cap at the time of opening without causing a separate problem such as making it difficult to install the cap to the container mouth portion. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a left side sectional view of a cap A according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a left half side cross-sectional view showing a combined state of a cap A and a container mouth B according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a flap, a ridge, and a jaw part shown in FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
A Cap B Container mouth 10 Top wall 11 Skirt wall 12 Circumferential weakening line 13 Skirt wall main part 14 Tamper evidence skirt 15 Slit 16 Bridge 17 Annular shoulder 18 Rib 19 Uneven shape 20 Female thread 21 Ventilation Notch 22 Flap 23 Projection 24 Seal part 25 Inner ring 26 Outer ring 27 Top projection 30 Chin part 31 Male thread

Claims (3)

Including a top wall and a cylindrical skirt wall depending from the periphery of the top wall, the skirt wall is formed with a circumferential weakening line extending in the circumferential direction,
The skirt wall is divided into a main portion above the circumferential weakening line and a tamper evidence hem below the circumferential weakening line,
In the cap having tamper evidence characteristics in which an internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main part,
A flexible flap that protrudes radially inward and upward is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt, and the upper portion of the base that joins the tamper evidence skirt is near the upper edge of the tamper evidence skirt. Are formed with ridges, the base edge of the flap and the ridges are formed extending in the circumferential direction,
The flap is sandwiched between the protrusion and the chin portion of the container mouth portion when opening the cap, and prevents the tamper evidence hem from moving upward. . A container in which a male thread corresponding to the female thread of the skirt wall is formed above the jaw part of the container mouth;
Including a top wall and a cylindrical skirt wall depending from the periphery of the top wall,
A circumferential weakening line extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the skirt wall,
The skirt wall is partitioned into a main part above the circumferential weakening line and a tamper evidence hem below the circumferential weakening line,
In combination with a cap having tamper evidence characteristics in which an internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the main part,
A flexible flap that protrudes radially inward and upward is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tamper evidence skirt, and the upper portion of the base that joins the tamper evidence skirt is near the upper edge of the tamper evidence skirt. Are formed with ridges, the base edge of the flap and the ridges are formed extending in the circumferential direction,
The flap is sandwiched between the ridge and the jaw portion of the container mouth portion when opening the cap, and prevents the tamper evidence skirt from moving upward. Cap and container combination. 3. The container is made of a metal material in which a curled portion is formed at a tip of a container mouth portion, the male screw is formed below the curled portion, and the jaw is formed below the male screw. Combination of cap and container as described.

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